


Road Trip

by FanFicReader01



Category: Poets of the Fall
Genre: M/M, Road Trip, and an ex truck driver lmao, car, coming of age i guess, he is also a biker, implied marko/Jari, implied olli/jani, jani used to be a gang member, jari is a construction worker lol, marko is a graffiti artist, olli is a tattoo artist somehow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-11-15 16:33:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11234886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFicReader01/pseuds/FanFicReader01
Summary: Markus and Jaska are young adults who want to be musicians. They’re also in love with each other.However, their parents don’t approve of both things.So Jaska works very hard to earn some money.Markus can’t do the same for his parents are very strict. When Jaska finally has gathered enough money, he buys an old little van.Inspired by music(video) Scar Tissue from the Red Hot Chili Peppers





	1. Nightly escapade

**Author's Note:**

> I want to imagine the van to look like one of those awesome Volkswagen buses.   
> The van is just like those, but less, less, very less expensive xD

_‘Markus! Markus!’, Jaska hissed. When his boyfriend didn’t respond, he decided to throw some pebbles against the other man’s window._

_After he threw quite some, the window finally opened and the face of a sleepy Markus appears._

_‘Finally! Thought you’d never wake up!’, Jaska chuckles._

_Markus gives him his middle finger._

_‘What are you doing here anyway?’_

_‘Just wanted to see you’, Jaska bluntly replies. Even from a distance, he knows Markus is rolling his eyes._

_‘Shut up, you! But really, what’s the_ true _meaning of all this?’, Markus keeps guessing. ‘How did you even get he-, oh, I see. You brought the tin can with you!’_

_Jaska nods proudly. ‘I was thinking about taking a very long drive. Like, a road trip across the country?’_

_‘Are you serious?’, Markus exclaims in disbelief._

_‘I’m very serious, my love. And now I’ve come to ask you: would you join me on this adventure?’_

_Markus grins widely. ‘Is this some nightly escape, Jaska?’_

_‘Kind of.’_

_‘Okay, count me in. Wait, I’ll pack my stuff!’, Markus says before closing his window._

_A few minutes later they sit in the car together. Markus has his feet resting on the dashboard, his hands behind his head._

_He laughs out loud._

_‘I can’t believe I’m doing this with you’, he chuckles._

_‘Me neither but here we are. Free at last!’, Jaska says with a smug smile on his face._

_‘Where are we going?’, Markus asks after they’ve been on the road for at least an hour already._

_Jaska shrugs his shoulders. ‘Dunno, really. Where the wind takes us?’_

_‘Damn, but I like it. Because I get to do this with you’, Markus faces his partner and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek._

_‘Yep, me too. We’ll find our way.’_


	2. The best deal ever...?

‘Let’s park the car here and go into the city’, Jaska suggests when they’re nearing an unknown city.

Markus agrees and parks the vehicle off road.

 ‘If we go shopping, I’m afraid you’ll have to pay’, Jaska mumbles.

‘It’s okay. You paid the whole darn car already’, Markus laughs and pats his partner on the back.

 

They buy some food to get by for another few days.

They decide to not drive again but wander the streets of the city first.

Jaska’s attention goes to a small flickering neon sign. Markus doesn’t seem to notice so Jaska tugs at his partner’s sleeve.

 ‘What is it?’, Markus asks alerted.

‘There. Tattoo shop’, Jaska exclaims. He looks very excited, like a little child.

 ‘You do know we have to save our money for the real things, right?’, Markus warns his friend.

‘I know, I know. But it wouldn’t hurt to check it out real quick’, Jaska pouts and Markus can’t resist.

 

The shop is located in a dark alleyway.

Another, bigger neon sign hangs above the door. It’s surprisingly light inside.

It’s pretty obvious that this place used to be a bar once. In the middle of the room there’s the chair with all the necessary equipment. The owner or anybody for that matter seems to be absent.

 ‘Eh, hello? Anybody home?’, Jaska shouts. When there comes no answer, Jaska wants to take a closer look at the workplace.

 ‘Whoa, whoa! Keep your hands of my baby!’, a sudden voice is heard from the back of the room.

A man appears behind a thick, leather curtain. In one hand he holds an acoustic guitar with the other hand he is waving. Locks of long, blond hair covers a big part of the man’s face.

 Jaska takes a few steps back to give the blond man some space.

‘I’m sorry, I was tuning my guitar upstairs. Thought I heard new clients’, the man apologizes as he sets his guitar down and brushes some hairs out of his face.

 ‘Oh, don’t worry’, Markus smiles, ‘I already apologize but we were just looking around. We’re not here for an actual tattoo.’

 ‘ _If_ I had the money, I would, though’, Jaska snorts. Then he laughs awkwardly and wants to shake the tattoo artist’s hand.

 ‘You’re the artist, right?’, he asks.

‘That’s correct. My name is Olli. Place isn’t mine but it’s from a friend. He gave me this place to work at which I’m very grateful for’, the artist introduces himself.

 ‘I’m Jaska. Wanna-be guitarist and wishes he could have a tattoo or two. Too bad I don’t have the money for it’, Jaska says with a wide grin.

‘Markus here’, Markus adds.

 ‘Nice to meet you. You have a guitar yourself?’, Olli wants to know out of curiosity.

‘Sadly enough no. Had to sell it to buy me a car’, Jaska replies with a sigh.

‘That’s a shame. How long did you play?’, Olli now sits down on one of the bar stools.

‘Back when I was thirteen till I got sixteen. After that, I stopped for a year. Now I regret that. I hope I can still play the guitar one day. Especially with what I’ve planned’, Jaska sighs.

 Olli raises an eyebrow: ‘Want to find out?’ He takes his guitar and offers it to Jaska who takes it carefully with both hands.

The first chords are a bit rusty but soon he is playing a nice little tune.

 ‘So you want to make it into the music industry?’, Olli guesses after Jaska has stopped playing.

‘Yeah but now Markus and I are just driving.’

 ‘Interesting, a road trip?’, the tattooist supposes.

‘Sort of’, Markus replies. ‘We don’t have a real destination yet.’

 ‘Sounds fun though. I’ve never been outside the city’, Olli murmurs. ‘Wish I could actually and-’ Then a bell rings, announcing another person to enter the shop.

Olli apologizes as he goes and help the client.

 

In the meantime Jaska wants to discuss something with Markus.  
‘Maybe I can ask Olli if he wants to give me his guitar!’, Jaska says.

Markus, however, isn’t very convinced: ‘You can’t just ask the man like that! Besides, we’re only trouble now. We don’t even get a tat!’

 Jaska pouts. ‘Let me try it after he’s done with that customer.’

 

‘Say, Olli, I’m sorry for bothering and asking you, but is there a chance you’d give me that guitar of yours?’

Olli laughs and shakes his head: ‘I’m afraid not. This guitar here? She is my second baby next to my tattoo machine!’

Jaska tries not to look disappointed. He scratches his beard and huffs.

 ‘Wait, what _if_ you’d join us?’

‘What?’, Olli looks flabbergasted.

‘Wait, Jaska, what?’, Markus exclaims in disbelief.

The taller man grins and explains: ‘We could travel together, you know? I can get to play on a guitar again and _you_ are able to see something of the world!’

 ‘Are you serious?’, Markus exclaims again as he drags his partner to a corner of the shop.

‘I am. I can always try, right?’

The two men watch Olli from a distance. He looks in deep thoughts.

Finally he walks up to the couple and says: ‘I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’d be interested!’

 ‘Great!’, Jaska smiles and pats the tattoo artist on his shoulder.

‘You sure? We don’t really know where we’re going. It’s not that we have a plan or something’, Markus warns the blond man beforehand.

 Olli chuckles: ‘That’s okay. But I think it’s good for me to get out of the city. The fact that I know every corner of this place, clarifies that I guess. Besides, I can still do tattoos if I can get some of the gear with me.’

 ‘Would your friend mind if you’d left in such a short time?’, Markus wants to be sure.

‘I’ll talk to him. The gear and all is mine, I just got to hire his place. If I’m gone, he can hire it to another person’, Olli reassures the guys.

 

They decide to stay in the city for another few days until everything is settled with Olli.

After the tattooist has said his goodbyes to his friend and the store, he joins Markus and Jaska on their adventure.

 

\--

 

Markus drives and Jaska sits next to him. He is inspecting the little device Olli uses to tattoo.

Meanwhile, the blond artist sits in the backseats of the car.

He is heard tuning his guitar.

 ‘So if I’m correct you two are together?’, Olli mutters.

Jaska and Markus give each other a hesitating look but then Markus nods.

 ‘Yeah. First friends, now boyfriends.’

‘Cool’, Olli chuckles. ‘For how long now?’

‘We know each other from childhood. But we became more than friends when we were sixteen’, Jaska answers.

 ‘Nice. You sure you don’t mind having a complete stranger with you?’, Olli sounds unsure about his position in the whole story.

 ‘It’s okay. We like the company. It makes things more interesting as well’, Jaska reassures the other man. ‘Say, Olli, how old are you?’

 ‘Twenty-four’, Olli replies.

‘Damn, then you’re older than us. Jaska and I are nineteen’, Markus remarks.

Then Jaska grins: ‘Maybe we should reverse your question: you don’t mind the company of two youngsters?’

 Olli laughs: ‘No, not at all. Hey look, I’m not that old, okay?’

‘Well, people our age can be very foolish, though’, Markus snorts.

 ‘That’s okay. I’m foolish as well. I mean, I saved up all my money to have my own tattoo shop. Good thing I could earn some extra money by playing the guitar’, Olli comments.

 ‘And now we ruined that dream. I’m sorry.’, Markus feels a bit guilty but the tattooist brushes off the apologize.

 ‘Don’t feel sorry. I could’ve refused the offer but I didn’t. I wanted this myself. Besides, I worked in that tattoo shop long enough. For five, almost six years already. I do not regret my choice’, Olli reassures the two men.

 

\--

 

And so the three men drove from city to city.

Olli still manages to earn some money as a street tattoo artist while Jaska gets to play on his guitar.

Sometimes they stay a bit longer in a city until they’ve enough money to hit the road for a few more weeks to come.

 

\--

 

One night they’re out on the open road.

While they’re resting alongside the long highway, Markus treats them all on a beer.

‘Still no regrets?’, he asks with a chuckle as he gives one bottle to Olli.

‘Nope. I like this new lifestyle. Makes me feel like a real tramp’, the tattooist snickers.

‘Good, good. I knew you wouldn’t regret it’, Jaska comments as he swings one arm around the older man.

 ‘You know what, Jaska? I’ve been thinking and I was wondering, do you still want to have a tattoo?’, Olli suddenly says.

 ‘Are you serious? Of course I still want them!’

‘But are you _sure_ sure? There’s no going back afterwards and it’s a onetime deal’, Olli says.

 ‘Just as sure as when I decided to take this trip’, comes Jaska’s response.

‘You got a design in mind?’

‘I was thinking about a roadmap. To see where we’re going and stuff’, Jaska replies.

 ‘Interesting idea. I like that’, Olli comments.

‘Or do you got any suggestions?’, Jaska frowns as he concentrates on the blond man’s arms. They’re almost totally covered with tattoos. He sees names, faces and symbols everywhere.

 ‘Yeah, I sometimes experiment with tats on my own arms. I like it, though. Shows my progress as an artist’, Olli explains. ‘But what you want and where you want it, is completely up to.’

 ‘Then we can start this journey on my left arm’, Jaska decides.


	3. Father and son?

‘Hey, hey! Slow down!’, Olli is almost shouting into Markus’ ear.

In shock, Markus immediately brakes but manages to keep the car rolling slowly anyway.

There’s a man crossing the street and if it wasn’t for Olli’s warning Markus, they might’ve run him over.

The stranger looks a bit shocked. Markus opens his windows and exclaims: ‘You there! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?’

 ‘Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I was inattentive, sorry for that’, the stranger replies.

 ‘Shouldn’t we offer him a drive?’, Olli suggests. ‘It’s the least we can do now.’

 ‘Alright, fine by me. What about you, love?’, Markus turns to Jaska who silently agrees.

Jaska rolls his window down.

 ‘Hey, stranger! Need a lift?’

‘Oh, thank god! Yes, please!’, the stranger in the rain exclaims.

 ‘Come on in!’, Olli invites the other man as he opens his door. Once inside, the stranger quickly closes the door.

 ‘Nice to meet you. I’m Olli’, the tattooist greets the other man by shaking his hand.

‘Jari here’, the stranger huffs while catching his breath.

 ‘And we are Jaska and Markus’, Jaska introduces them. ‘Sorry about my boyfriend almost hitting you with my car.’

‘It’s fine. As I already said, _I_ was the inattentive one’, Jari reassures them with a smile. He is playing with a yellow safety helmet, Olli notices.

 ‘Construction worker?’, he guesses.

Jari nods and observes Olli’s various tattoos. ‘Tattooist or just a fan of it?’

 ‘Both.’

 

 ‘So, Jari, where do you need to go?’, Markus wants to know.

‘Eh, I don’t know exactly’, Jari mutters silently. Markus looks at the stranger through the rear-view mirror.

 ‘You mean you forgot the address?’

‘No, no. That’s not it. I just don’t have a real destination. I just wanted to get out of the city’, Jari replies, keeping his head low. Nervously he lets his fingers trace over his helmet.

 ‘Look, just drive me to the next city and leave me there’, Jari says. ‘I have my bags with me so you don’t have to worry about it!’

 ‘What are your motives even?’, Markus keeps asking. He’s worried about the stranger. It incites some kind of groan from Jari.

‘Why all these questions? You’re almost just like my mom and dad!’

 Jaska chuckles and guesses: ‘So you’re a rebel. A runaway?’

After some hesitating, Jari dares to nod and snorts: ‘So what?’

 ‘Don’t worry’, Olli now joins the conversation, ‘They’re runaways too.’

‘Really?’, Jari exclaims.

Markus has to admit: ‘Yeah, to be honest we’re just travelling so we don’t have to be home.’

 ‘All of you?’

‘Not really. I just wanted to see more of the world. At least I have my shit together, unlike these two lovebirds’, Olli jokes amused.

‘Whoa, whoa! You keep talking like that and we’ll have to throw you outside!’, Markus tries to convincingly threaten the older man.

 ‘Don’t worry, Markus, I don’t mind to travel with a bunch of kids’, the tattooist adds, trying to make taunting eye contact with the driver.

‘Dude’s twenty-four while we’re nineteen. What about you, Jari?’, Jaska has shifted in his seat so he faces the two men in the back.

 ‘Eighteen’, Jari replies.

‘Aren’t you a bit young to work already, though?’, Jaska comments.

 ‘Maybe. But I don’t want to go to school either. I don’t really know what I want’, Jari sighs.

‘Whoa, Markus, can you believe it? We’re all the same here!’, Jaska grins.

 

The rest of the trip is spent in silence. To make it less quiet in the car, Markus has put on some music. Jaska has asked Olli if he can borrow his guitar for a minute.

After Olli has agreed, Jaska quietly plays along with the music.

Finally they arrive at a filling station with a small restaurant where they decide to eat some late lunch.

Jari goes to the restroom to change his soaked clothes while the trio already look for a table at the restaurant.

 

‘So why did you run away from home?’, Jaska wants to know after Jari joins them at the table.

‘My dad really wants me to be a construction worker like him. But I don’t want to and he doesn’t seem to accept “no” as an answer. Even if he’d be okay with that, then I’d have to go back to school’, Jari explains.

 ‘And there are no studies you’d like to follow? Just asking. I’m not judging’, Markus asks.

‘Not really.’ After some silence, Jari adds: ‘Maybe there _is_ something I’d like to do but I can’t.’

The youngster’s eyes trail off and rest on Olli’s guitar.

 ‘Music?’, the blond man guesses. Jari nods.

‘Yep. I once went to a concert with a friend of mine. We were both in elementary school then. His dad was in this band. He was the drummer and I was all in awe. I was like: this is what I want to be when I grow up! That dream hasn’t changed ever since’, Jari talks about his inspiration.

 ‘Maybe you’ll find the right opportunities with us together then!’, Jaska exclaims.

‘I hope so… I mean _what_?! _With_ you?’, Jari stammers flabbergasted.

 ‘Yes, with us. Unless you want to make it on your own. Then that’s totally fine too!’

‘Oh, I didn’t mean it like that! I, eh-’, Jari stutters.

‘It’s okay. We’re all after the same dream then, right? To make it into the music industry?’, Jaska says with a big smile.

 ‘Guess so, then. But still, it seems so surreal for me. To be on the road with other strangers’, Jari murmurs still in doubt.

 ‘That stranger thing, we can fix by travelling some more together’, Jaska winks.

‘And look at me. These two lovebirds were strangers for me as well in the beginning. And first I couldn’t believe I was doing this either but here I am and I gotta say, it’s quite fun: going from place to place and stuff’, Olli shares his part of the experience.

 

\--

 

The quartet drives through two more cities before they settle down in a little town for a full month.

They end up in a little B&B. Jari and Olli decide to share a room and Markus and Jaska obviously share one as well.

 After they’ve had dinner together, everyone goes to their own room.

 

Olli is curious about his roommate so he wants to asks some more questions.

‘Did you have a drumkit at home?’

‘No. Mom didn’t approve it and neither did dad. I begged a lot to buy me a drumkit or let me at least follow one lesson. I even told them I’d find a job to earn the money myself.’

 ‘That’s a shame. My parents, in that regard, were a lot more accepting. Well, I still had to pay the guitar and the lessons myself. They warned me it’d be difficult to become a musician.’

 ‘Did you listen to them?’, Jari chuckles.

‘Kind of. I became a tattoo artist in the end. Next to playing the guitar, tattooing is my life.’

 ‘Sounds like you do indeed have your life together!’, Jari states.

‘Not always, though. Come closer’, Olli gestures the younger man to sit next to him on the bed.

He then rolls up his sleeves and shows Jari the tattoos.

 ‘Used my own arms to practice but the tattoos are also for something else’, Olli now lets Jari in on a “secret”.

‘Wait, a- are those… scars?’, Jari remarks as he inspects the tattooist’s arms closer.

‘Yep, they are’, Olli responds.

‘Y- you were suicidal?’, Jari stammers.

‘Kind of. Well, when I was younger it was worse enough for me to harm myself.’

 ‘How old were you if I may ask? Unless you’re uncomfortable talking about it’, Jari asks hesitatingly.

‘It’s okay, I started this conversation. Anyway, think I must’ve been fifteen or sixteen when I started this. But I stopped doing it when I was seventeen. That’s when I discovered my love for tattoos and guitars’, Olli explains.

 ‘How did your parents react?’

‘They were shocked. Didn’t thought it would happen to their son. But they were glad when I finally talked to them about it. They helped me and found a good therapist. They were also glad I found distraction and something new in playing the guitar and stuff. Phew, glad I’m totally clean now. So don’t worry about my past’, Olli says. He chuckles as he stares at his own arms.

 ‘But are you also a bit ashamed? I mean those tattoos’, Jari questions.

‘First I was. But as I said earlier on, these are more experiments on myself than really hiding the tatts. But in the end, the tattoos started to add up, hehe. Look, my left leg’s covered as well. No scars there though. Anyway, I’m glad I can be proud of who I am. And these scars are also a sign of growth to me.’

 ‘I’m glad you got your life together then’, Jari smiles.

‘You will too. But you’re still young. Just like Jaska and Markus. I think this trip will do everyone good! I too can learn new things!’

 ‘I hope so too. I’m still a bit worried about my parents. I wonder if they come look for me.’

‘You have a phone?’

 ‘No, left it at home so they couldn’t reach me’, Jari mutters. Regret is visible on his face.

‘You know what? Try to sleep and tomorrow we’ll see if you can call your parents and then you explain.’

 ‘But what am I going to say? Yeah, hey mom, hey dad! Guess what? Your son is travelling with two wanna-be musicians and a tattoo artist!’, Jari sounds desperate.

 ‘We’ll figure it out tomorrow. Ask Jaska and Markus how they dealt with their sudden disappearance. They’ve gone through the same thing. Well, almost the same thing. But now you need to sleep. It’s been a long day. You must be exhausted so don’t worry about tomorrow’, Olli reassures.

 ‘Guess I should listen to an older person for once’, Jari grins before slipping underneath his blankets.

‘Think I’ll go to bed too now’, Olli mutters. He climbs onto the bunkbed and wishes the younger man a good sleep.

 

\--

 

‘I tried to talk to my parents but I only got a scolding. Couldn’t even finish my sentence’, Markus recalls the one time he tried to call his parents.

 ‘Hey look, I don’t want to discourage you. My parents were very strict and let’s say they weren’t very fond of the fact that my partner is also male. At least they know what I’m up to now.’

Still there is worry readable in Jari’s eyes. He turns to Jaska.  
 ‘My parents didn’t like it either. But they hope this trip will change me and that I regret it and come back. Not that that’s gonna happen though’, he adds with a laugh.

 ‘Just tell them the truth. That you needed to go out’, Markus suggests. Jari silently nods. After they’ve eaten their breakfast, they visit the little town and walk around.

 

‘There’s a phonebooth!’, Jari remarks.

They walk to it. Once there, the youngster still hesitates.

 ‘Come on, you can do it. Want us to go away if that makes you more comfortable?’, Jaska asks.

‘Thanks. And yeah, I’d like to have my privacy now.’

The others step back and give him some space.

 

A good hour later Jari finally hangs up the phone. The others almost rush towards the youngest companion.

 ‘It… went better than expected. They were mad and I can’t complain about that. But they understood I needed some time and space. They hope this gap year helps me grow’, Jari informs.

 Jaska can’t help but joke: ‘You mean in height? Because trust me, you won’t.’

Jari rolls his eyes.

 ‘Hey now, Jaska, don’t be so mean!’, Markus snorts.

‘Anyway, they told me that if I’d change my mind, I could always come back’, Jari adds.

 ‘That’s great to hear!’, Jaska pats the guy’s shoulder.

‘So now I can travel with you guys without worrying about my parents worrying about me’, Jari laughs.


	4. Trouble in thug town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some trouble along the road, folks!

They’re on the road for almost six months now. The tattoo on Jaska’s arm keeps expanding.

It’s the “living” proof of how much they’ve travelled already.

 ‘It finally starts to look like a real map’, Jaska grins satisfied when they’re having a stop by a nearby gas station and Olli is adding a new part on Jaska’s arm.

 ‘Where are we going next?’, Jari wants to know.

‘I was thinking of going south’, Markus replies. ‘If that’s okay for you guys?’

The rest agrees unanimously.

After Olli is done with Jaska’s tattoo and the gear gets stored away. The artist decides to drive.

 

They’re driving two hours and a half when they decide to take a quick stop.

Olli parks the small bus next to a whole bunch of motorcycles.

 ‘Damn, these look quite nice. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to ride one of these’, Jaska expresses his excitement.

 ‘Must be awesome. It probably gives you the ultimate feeling of freedom’, Markus nods as he inspects one of the motorcycles.

 ‘Sure we’re going inside?’, Jari seems to hesitate.

‘Don’t worry. Not all bikers are aggressive folks’, Jaska reassures their youngest companion with a bright smile.

But that smile quickly fades when there’s loud noise coming from the café. And it isn’t the music that’s heard.

 Suddenly a whole crowd -among them are some very angry looking bikers-  comes storming out of the building.

‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’, some men and women are shouting. Others seem to flee.

The travelling group gets stunned by the sudden havoc.

 ‘Eh maybe we should go now?’, Jari suggests.

The others quickly approve and together they run for their van. They almost get overwhelmed  by the moving mass of people, pushing and tugging.

 In all the chaos none of the guys notice a stranger sneakily joining them.

 

Once they’re inside the vehicle, everyone groans in relief. Jaska is quick in starting the engine and racing off from the chaos.

 ‘Are they following us?’, the young man pants. Jari is looking behind him and shakes his head.

‘No. Don’t think they’re really after us. Besides, there are other people leaving that place as well’, he reports on the situation.

 ‘Luckily they’re staying there’, Markus adds.

‘What the heck happened there? Was there a shootout or something?’, Jari stammers confused.

 ‘I didn’t hear any shooting. Must’ve been a bar fight then’, Olli guesses.

 

Suddenly Markus shrieks. It startles everyone and Jaska gives his partner a concerned look.

‘Everything alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!’

‘Yeah. Might as well have. Something in the back of the bus just moved!’

Jari and Olli decide to check and they yell simultaneously when suddenly they find a stranger hiding on the floor of the second row of backseats.

 ‘Who in the hell are you?’, Olli gives the stranger a surprised but also angered look.

‘I’m nobody. Don’t worry about me’, the stranger chuckles like it is nothing.

 ‘Oh god, he’s one of those bikers!’, Jari exclaims as he observes stranger’s leather jacket.

All of a sudden Olli does something no one would’ve expected from the otherwise calm artist.

He grabs the stranger by his jacket and almost drags him over the seat Olli and Jari are sitting on.

 ‘Whoa! Whoa! Calm, man! No need to be aggressive! Already got my ass kicked back in the café!’

‘Why shouldn’t I? Who knows what kind of dangerous biker you are! And trust me, I know what gang bikers can do! Besides, you also infiltrated our personal space!’, Olli snarls.  

The other man heavily shakes his head. ‘No! I-, I _was_. I’m not longer associated w- with those folks’, he stammers.

 ‘Really?’, the tattooist now decreases his grip and eventually lets the other man go. In the meantime Jaska has parked the van somewhere off-road.

 ‘Then why are you still wearing it?’, Markus asks from the front of the van.

‘Because I like the jacket. _Not_ the ideology of the original wearers. Think the jacket is kind of cool, right?’

Olli groans and rolls his eyes in annoyance.

 ‘Y- you’re hurt’, Jari now notices the actual obvious beaten cheek of the former gang member.

‘Told ya I got my ass kicked back there’, the man snorts.

 ‘So if I understand all this, those bikers were after _you_?’, Jaska says, almost in disbelief.

‘Kind of? But don’t worry. They don’t know I’m with you.’

Olli lets out another groan and sits back properly on his seat. ‘Can’t believe we’re having a fugitive with us. Seriously, what’s your problem?’

 ‘I really needed to go to a toilet. It was a serious number two and-’

‘Get to the point’, Olli cuts the man off.

 ‘Well, it took me some time and when I got back into the café I got greeted by some old “friends”. Obviously they didn’t let me through. Threatened me I owed them shit. Then I replied with the wrong words and that’s how I ended up beaten. So I fled. Guess I live up to my name after all’, the ex-biker huffs.

 ‘Your name?’, Jaska sounds curious.

‘They used to call me Scaredy Cat’, the man replies with a chuckle.

 ‘And now your real name, please’, Olli raises a questioning eyebrow.

‘Snellman. Jani Snellman at your service’, the man finally says with a grin on his bruised face.

 

‘How did you get there?’, Olli asks him.

‘With my truck. Can’t go back, though. That’d be instant death’, Jani snorts.

‘That truck was yours?’, Jari says surprised. The truck driver nods: ‘Yup. Guess I’ll have to deliver the thing sooner than expected. Oh well, I will be fired anyway. Don’t you worry about that.’

 Although Jani laughs it off as something minor, losing one’s job isn’t something to joke about.

‘So what are you going to do now?’, Jari asks concerned.

 ‘Try to get home. Gather some stuff, tell my boss what’s happened and then… don’t know’, Jani mutters as he falls back onto his seat.

 ‘Won’t they come after you?’, Markus wonders out loud.

‘Nah. Maybe what I said earlier, was a bit exaggerated. Guess they’re just happy Scaredy Cat isn’t in their midst anymore.’

 ‘They did beat you up, though’, Jari counters.

‘That happens often in gangs like that’, Jani tries to brush it off like it’s nothing once more.

 

\--

 

It takes some more talking before everyone agrees on getting the truck driver to his destination: his old home.

The drive will take them three hours at least and Jani decides to drive.

 ‘It’s all I can do after causing so much trouble’, he states as he gets behind the wheel.

‘I may have to take some words back. You aren’t _that_ much of a trouble. The gang isn’t really after you even though it would be a stupid move to return to that place now’, Olli admits.

 The biker quickly looks into the rear-view mirror and smiles at the tattooist.

‘Well thank you…? You still haven’t told me your names’, Jani remarks.

‘Olli. That’s everything you need to know.’

‘I’m Jari.’

‘Markus and Jaska. Jaska and Markus. We’re inseparable’, Markus chuckles.

 ‘Nice to meet you, guys. And once again, I’m sorry for all this.’

‘Argh, never mind actually. We didn’t really have a plan or a real destination anyway. Just wanted to go south and we’re doing that now so everything’s fine I guess’, Markus reassures the newcomer.

 ‘Indeed. We just go where the wind leads us. So to speak’, Jaska muses and swings one arm around his partner’s waist. He and Markus have moved to the backseats Jani was previously sitting on.

 Markus presses a kiss on his lover’s head and Jaska mimics the action afterward.

 

\--

 

They’ve taken two short breaks and now they’ve finally arrived in the city. It’s already late and the city gets lit up by all its artificial light.

Jani parks the bus in the underground parking and steps out.

 ‘Guess this is where we part ways, huh?’, he says.

The others don’t say a word.

 ‘Mind if we wait here?’, Jari says. The truck driver seems to be baffled.

‘You’re gonna stay or what?’, there’s confusion in his face.

‘Sort of. We want to make sure everything’s alright’, Olli replies.

Jani’s expressions turns into a smug one as he eyes the tattoo artist. ‘You’ve grown fond of me, dontcha? How long has it been?  Four, five hours?’

 Olli snorts and huffs: ‘Don’t make me regret this. Now get your stuff and tell us if you’re finished.’

‘Maybe I should invite you inside so you can get some rest’, Jani then suggests.

The four men have a look at each other and nod in agreement.

 

Jani’s apartment is small and messy.

 ‘I’m sorry, it’s been a month since I was here. I was always on the road. Most of the stuff you see here can be thrown in the trash’, the truck driver states as tries to clean up some of the mess.

Jari has decided to sit on the chair. Markus and Jaska have settled on the dusty bed and Olli simply stands.

 Jani offers them a cold beer. While everyone is drinking, the biker is putting some stuff in an old looking travel suitcase. He gathers some clothes and throws them in a bin bag.

 ‘Going to put them in the washing machine downstairs’, he declares before leaving the other men alone in the room.

 

‘What are we going to do? Let him join us?’, Jari wants to be sure.

‘I don’t know’, Olli mutters as he empties his bottle. ‘He is after all an ex- gang member. Do you think he’s that trustworthy?’

 ‘Don’t you think everyone deserves a second chance?’, Jari exclaims. ‘As you said _ex_ -gang member.’

‘And he must’ve been called Scaredy Cat for a reason’, Jaska chuckles. ‘To me he comes off as a wannabe gangster.’

 ‘Maybe you guys are right. Alright, I’m going to give him a chance.’

‘You know we can drop any of you guys if we want to?’, Markus grins. ‘But so far, I have no complaints with the company.’

 ‘You guys have made this road trip much more interesting!’, Jaska praises.

 

When Jani returns, they give him the offer to join them.

‘That’s amazing and of course I’d like to join you! I’m just wondering… what could I even contribute? As you can see, I don’t have much money left and-’, Jani outs his doubts.

 ‘First, you can tell us some juicy stories about your time as a gang member and biker’, Jari smirks.

‘Don’t worry about the money. None of us here are rich folks and this kid here didn’t even have money when he started travelling with us’, Jaska chuckles while pointing at Jari.

 ‘Hey, now! I used to work, alright? But yes, I didn’t have much money on me’, the youngest man mutters.

‘We simply travel from city to city. Drive from road to road. From town to town. We stay sometimes and try to find some work so we’re good enough for another long road trip’, Jaska explains.

 ‘Almost sounds like the life I’ve left behind’, Jani sighs. ‘Maybe that’s why I chose the truck life after ending my “thug life”. But I’ve never been a good gangster.’

 ‘So you’re actually a softie?’ Olli remarks, a smirk playing on his lips.

‘It’s the truth, though’, Jani admits.

 ‘Good to know. I’d rather like you more knowing you’re a wannabe gangster instead of actual criminal scum’, Olli says.

 

\--

 

‘Pst, Jani? Jani?’, Olli whispers and almost hisses into the biker’s ear.

‘Hm, wh- what is it? Who’s there?’, the man sounds drowsy and confused.

‘It’s me, Olli. You’re still awake?’

‘Well, I am now’, Jani grunts as he crawls up from the couch. ‘What’s up? Can’t sleep?’

‘No, it’s hot and I was thinking about having a  smoke. Want to come with me?’, Olli explains.

‘Sure, why not?’ and so he follows the artist outside of the van.

The road is wide and empty. Even outside the vehicle, it’s stuffy. Jani gets greeted by the millions of stars in the ink black sky.

 ‘Let’s walk a bit so we don’t wake the others’, Olli suggests in a low tone.

‘Okay.’

 Jani gives the bus a quick glance. Jari is sleeping on the first backseat row. Markus and Jaska are laying entangled in each other’s embraces as usual.

 

During their silent stroll together, Olli breaks the silence: ‘Still wearing the jacket, huh?’

‘As I stated earlier: I like it’, Jani replies.

 ‘But aren’t you afraid people will think bad of you simply because of it?’

The biker shrugs his shoulders. ‘You mean people like you?’ A quick wink suggests the joking.

 ‘Maybe. But I have to admit, it suits you’, Olli murmurs.

‘Thanks. Those tattoos on your arms are pretty neat too’, Jani compliments back.

Suddenly Olli stops walking.

 ‘You got a lighter?’, he wants to know. ‘We went outside to smoke after all.’

‘Right in my pocket, here.’

The tattooist then takes out two cigs and gives one to Jani. First he lights his own and then he lights Jani’s cigarette.

 After Olli has exhaled a cloud of smoke, he mutters: ‘Look, I know our first meeting was pretty shitty but I want to say that I’m finally past my first impression of you.’

 ‘That’s alright. But _my_ first impression of _you_ hasn’t changed. I still like you even after being on the road with you for almost three weeks’, Jani grins.

 ‘Oh, really? Didn’t you think I was some kind of douchebag who thinks he can understand people only by looking at what they wear?’, Olli laughs out loud.

 ‘Nah. I thought you were cool. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s what makes us human’, the truck driver smiles and adds: ‘Anyway, now you’ve shown me that you’re actually a very calm guy.’

‘Yeah, that brings me to the point of today. Of what I wanted to tell you’, Olli says.

 ‘So you woke me up for a reason? Not only to smoke a cig together?’, Jani looks baffled.

 ‘Yes I did. I wanted to apologize for my previous behavior’, the tattoo artist explains.

 ‘That’s in the past now’, Jani reassures but Olli isn’t satisfied yet.

‘I just wanted you to know the reason why I was mad at you. What I’m about to tell you isn’t meant to justify my bad behavior though. It’s just so you understand my silly reasoning.’

 ‘Go for it then. I’ll try not to judge’, comes Jani’s reply.

 

Before telling, Olli takes a long drag on his cigarette.

‘I guess my behavior had everything to do with prejudices on bikers and biker gangs in particular. It has everything to do with a bad memory of my past’, Olli starts his story.

 ‘I was fifteen when my best friend and I were walking home from a party. Living in the big city has its risks and that night we bumped into a gang. We were tipsy and my friend said the wrong things to the wrong people.’ The tattooist takes another drag on his cigarette before continuing.

 ‘Anyway, my friend got in a fight with one of those bikers. I was too tipsy and too afraid to really help out and then there was a knife and…’

 ‘Gosh, I’m sorry to hear that’, Jani stammers when Olli doesn’t finish his sentence. He doesn’t dare to look the man in his eyes.

‘He got stabbed. The gang fled and left him to die. Luckily, some good people passed by and called an ambulance. Meanwhile was I too shocked to do anything.’ The words come out difficultl.

 Some tears roll out of the blond man’s eyes.

He flinches when he suddenly feels Jani’s arm around him as a way of comforting him.

 ‘It’s alright, Olli. It isn’t your fault your friend got wounded. Nor is it your fault you couldn’t help him. I believe many of us would’ve froze in such situation. You shouldn’t feel guilty.’

‘Th- thanks, Jani. That event doesn’t justify my attitude towards you though! I mean… just thinking _every_ biker would be a criminal is just… plain stupid of me’, the tattooist complains.

 Jani presses the artist closer to him and hushes him.

 ‘Okay, Olli, okay. But I’ve proved you wrong, right? Not all bikers are that bad.’

‘Yeah, but you’re an _ex_ -biker and gangster. Doesn’t count.’

 ‘But you first thought I still was, right?’, Jani snickers. ‘Anyway, now those prejudices lay in the past and that’s a good thing! People make mistakes and people change. That’s part of life.’

 Olli gets out of the taller man’s embrace and grins: ‘Getting philosophical all of a sudden?’

‘Nah, just stating the obvious. Anyway, I still haven’t learnt from my own mistakes. Still making the wrong choices.’

 ‘Are you telling me travelling with us was a mistake?’, Olli arches his eyebrows.

‘No! Not at all! This might’ve been one of the wisest choices so far’, Jani stammers.

 ‘And you leaving the gang life behind’, Olli adds.

‘Yeah, that too. I wasn’t meant for the thug life. Only did it for the freedom it gave me. Although that’s not entirely true. I was constantly restrained by all those rules’, Jani grunts as he recalls his days in the gang.

 ‘Did you…?’, Olli doesn’t dare to finish his sentence.

‘Kill anybody? Never. I would never threaten or hurt people! Once ended up in jail for a petty theft though. That one theft is the only crime I’ve ever committed. I still feel guilty for that’, Jani confesses.

 ‘I think I can live with that.’, Olli mutters.

‘Glad you’ve come to accept me’, Jani expresses his cheer joy by hugging the smaller man. Out of excitement he smooches him on both cheeks as well.

It leaves the younger man flustered.

 ‘Ehm, I think we should head back now or we’ll be walking forever’, Olli coughs out a nervous laugh.

‘Yeah, you’re totally right. We should get some sleep too’, Jani nods with a blush on his face.

They increase their distance and start to walk back to the van. The whole trip is spent in awkward silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, he's an ex- gang member, sort of an ex-biker and an ex-truck driver xD


	5. Perfect timing to get caught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally Marko joins the club

Jaska, Markus and Jari are sleeping in the back of the van. Meanwhile is Jani driving and Olli sits next to him.

It’s already past midnight but they’ve decided to keep on driving until they reach the beach.

 Olli has rolled down his window and smokes a cigarette as he stares out of the window.

‘I like the quietness of the night’, he mutters.

‘Yeah, me too. It’s when everything gets silent and you get some time to think, huh’, Jani comments.

‘What do you think about?’, Olli wants to know.

 ‘Philosophical stuff if you mean thinking about life and choices. Stuff like that but also simple things like: where should we go to next? What things do we need to shop for?’, Jani answers.

 ‘Want a cig too?’

‘Nah, thanks. And what do _you_ think about during quiet nights like these?’, the truck driver questions.

 ‘Same stuff. I think about the past too. Not only about the bad things, though.’

‘I see. Say, Jaska got them nice tattoos, right? Could I ask you to do me too?’, the older man asks.

Olli gives him a side glance and grins: ‘You want me that badly?’

 ‘What?’, Jani stammers confused. Then he understand the possible innuendo he made and quickly crawls back: ‘No, I didn’t mean it like that! You pervert! I simply asked if-’

 Olli laughs: ‘It’s okay, it’s okay. I understand. What kind of tattoo were you thinking about?’

 ‘Certainly not my former gang symbol. I was thinking about… wings’, Jani mutters.

‘Devil or angel wings?’

 ‘Bird feathers’, Jani replies. When there comes no reply, the man chuckles: ‘I know it sounds strange.’

‘No, not at all! Wings of freedom it is!’, Olli smiles. They are nearing a bridge.

 ‘Hm, is it just me or do I spot a figure?’, Jani suddenly states. The tattooist leans forward and turns his eyes to slits to see better.

 ‘You’re right! Be careful’, Olli says as they near the bridge. There’s a person standing on a ladder and he’s climbing off it real fast like he’s in a hurry.

Once the van is close enough, the mysterious figure seems to flee.

 ‘Hey! Wait!’, Olli shouts. He gestures Jani to stop the van. Then Olli walks up to the ladder and finds multiple graffiti cans laying around. He picks one up and tries to run after the fugitive.

 ‘Come back! You… you forgot your spray cans!’, he yells.

The stranger is still seen in the distance. He hesitates and carefully walks back.

Jani joins Olli outside the car and looks at the unfinished work on the bridge.

 ‘Damn, looks pretty neat I gotta say’, he comments on it.

 

Finally the mysterious graffiti artist is getting closer to them. He is wearing a dark red hoodie with the cap over his head so his face stays in the shadows.

He stands a bit hunched over and clearly looks tense.

 ‘Y- you’re not going to arrest me?’, the stranger hesitates. He sounds young.

‘Nah, not if you’re creating art like that’, Jani chuckles, trying to look under the cap.

 ‘We simply wanted you to give back your cans’, Olli states as he gives one to the graffiti artist.

‘Oh, eh thanks’, the stranger mutters. He proceeds to gather his stuff in his bag.

 ‘You’re not going to finish it?’, Jani asks.

‘What?’

 ‘Yeah, you better finish what you’ve started. Maybe your work is the only vandalism I accept’, the truck driver grins.

 ‘A- are you serious?’, the other man stammers.

‘Sure. I’ll keep my eyes shut for once. Just this one time! Anyway, what you started looks amazing’, Jani compliments the man.

 ‘Thank you very much. Wished more people acknowledged it’, the graffiti artist mutters as he starts to unpack his tools anew;

 ‘Yeah, great line work. Your use of color really makes the important stuff pop out!’, Olli praises the artist.

‘What are you doing here, though? It’s late’, the stranger questions.

 ‘We were actually just driving through but then we saw you so we decided to stop’, Olli replies.

‘There are other people’, the other man points out.

 ‘Yes. They are our travel buddies’, Jani explains.

‘Sounds fun’, the man murmurs before continuing his graffiti piece.

 

When the work is done after one hour and a half, the artist cleans up and looks at his work.

 ‘What do you think?’

‘Pretty good. How long do you do this?’, the tattoo artist gives the other artist a look.

 ‘Two years. I totally forgot to introduces myself but I think you guys are trustworthy. So, I’m Marko.’

‘I’m Olli and that’s Jani. He isn’t a real biker, though. Don’t get intimidated by the jacket’, Olli says with a playful wink.

‘I’m _still_ a biker. I just don’t belong in the biker gang anymore’, Jani corrects him.

 ‘You don’t ride a motorcycle anymore’, Olli counters.

‘One day I’ll ride again!’, Jani reassures the tattoo artist.

 ‘Nice to meet you then’, Marko exclaims as he shakes their hands.

‘Whoa, very formal, aren’t we? We’re not that old!’, Jani laughs.

 ‘Says the guy who’s already twenty-six’, Olli huffs.

‘That’s only two years older than you’, Jani raises an eyebrow as he makes eye-contact with the artist.

 ‘How old are you, Marko?’

‘Eighteen’, the young graffiti artist replies.

 ‘Then you’ll might get along with Jari! He’s the same age as you’, Jani grins.

‘Nice. But I think it’s time for me to disappear again’, Marko mutters.

 ‘You’re not going home then?’, Olli guesses.

The younger man shakes his head. ‘Don’t really have a home. Look, I don’t want you to take pity in me, okay? You can go wherever you want to go. Don’t mind me, I’ll find my way. As always’, Marko says with a smile but Olli can still see a tad of sadness in the youngsters eyes.

 The tattooist exchanges looks with the former gang-member and Jani gives him an understanding nod.

‘Say, what if you joined us? We’re going to the beach’, Olli asks.

Marko looks bewildered by the offer. He stares at the van and grunts: ‘Isn’t there enough people already?’

 ‘Nah. We still got a seat available. But are you in or not?’, Jani replies.

‘In’, Marko lifts his bag over his shoulder.

 ‘Great to hear! Are we ready then or do you still need to get some stuff somewhere?’

‘A few things. I can take them by myself. You don’t have to walk with me’, Marko reassures them but Olli insists on accompanying the younger man.

 ‘You won’t regret this’, Jani tells him before they leave to go to Marko’s stash.

 

\--

 

‘So what do you do to get by?’, Olli questions while they’re walking. Suddenly Marko stops to get his bike from the bicycle rack.

 ‘You can sit behind me’, the young adult states.

‘Sure it can hold us both? Thing doesn’t look stable at all’, Olli inspects the bike.

 ‘It’s fine. Can you hold my bag then?’

‘Okay, will do.’

 

‘Oh, about your question you just asked? I’m actually a legal graffiti artist but I like to paint the city during night time as well.’

 ‘You know you could get caught, right?’, Olli warns.

‘I know, I know. There’s a thrill to it but I know it’s very risky. But I think the city looks so much more lively and colorful with my work. Even if it has to be illegal. I’m just not satisfied with only my legal work’, Marko murmurs as he turns left in an alleyway.

 ‘You also said you didn’t have a home? Your parents kicked you out or what?’, Olli hesitated to ask the question but he really wants to know more about this guy.

 ‘They died in an accident when I was seven. But life moved on and I ended up in an orphanage’, Marko flatly replies. Olli decides to not ask any further.

  ‘And later in life you decided graffiti is how you could express yourself?’

‘Kind of. How do you know?’, Marko sounds surprised.

 ‘We might be more alike than we know. But many people find solace in art. It can be a way of coping with things’, Olli declares.

 

They’ve finally arrived in one of the older buildings of the city where Marko’s hideout is. Apparently he shares it with some other people. Most of them are asleep but those who aren’t pay either no attention to the two men or they greet them.

 ‘Hey, Marko!’

‘Yo, Johnny! How are you doing?’

 ‘Fine. What about you? Who’s that?’

‘Someone I met. Don’t mind him. But I’m going away from here.’

 ‘Oh, okay. Good luck, I guess?’

 

‘So you’ve put those tats on you to cope with your problems?’, Marko points out after he notices the tattooist’s arms for the first time.

 ‘Yes. You got everything you need?’

‘Yep. Time to move out’, Marko says. He first says his goodbyes to the folks in the building.

 ‘How are the others?’, the young man wants to know as he sits on his bike again.

‘They’re nice people. Although we’ve come from different walks of life, there are still some strong similarities between us’, Olli informs him.

 ‘You think I’ll fit in?’

‘I think you’ll fit in nicely!’, Olli chuckles.

 

\--

 

‘Mom, dad, what is this stranger doing in our tour bus?’, Jari jokes when he finds Marko sitting next to him.

 Jani turns around in his seat and introduces Marko to the rest of the group.

‘We found this stray cat previous night. We’re one artist richer! Say, Marko why don’t you introduce yourself to the rest?’

‘Cool, what do you do?’, Jari asks excited.

 ‘Graffiti.’

‘Awesome!’, the other young man comments.

Jaska also speaks up: ‘Interesting. So now we have a tattoo artist, a graffiti artist, a former gang member, truck driver _and_ biker, a former constructor worker and two wannabe musicians!’

 ‘That’s a whole mouthfull’, Marko laughs. ‘This is the tour bus? You’re famous or what?’

‘Nah, too bad we’re not. We’re just a bunch of guys looking for the meaning of life together by wandering through the country’, Markus clarifies with a grin.

 ‘So I am Markus. Used to play the piano. This big guy next to me, is Jaska. He wants to be a famous guitarist one day. At the moment he borrows Olli’s guitar. Olli is the tattoo guy but it seems like you and Olli have met already. Anyway, moving on! Jari used to be a constructor worker but he rather sits behind a drumkit, jamming. And at least we have Jani, the guy who’s been too much: biker, member of a biker gang and he was a truck driver before we met him.’

 ‘And as you probably know, Olli and I are the oldest members. So the others keep saying we’re their parents’, Jani lets the newcomer in on an inside joke.

 ‘So… are you two a thing then?’, Marko guesses.

It makes Olli and Jani exchange quick looks.

 ‘Sort of, ehm… we didn’t start off as good friends though’, Olli stammers awkwardly.

‘Yes they are’, Jaska whispers but so that Jani and Olli can still hear him.

‘They only pretend to not like each other but it couldn’t be farther from the truth’, Jari adds.

 ‘Welcome, Marko, to this band of weirdos’, Markus claps in his hands and the others follow.


	6. Campfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, got a bit stuck with the story >.<
> 
> So here's a small ficlet chap about Marko who recently joined them

The guys are sitting at the big campfire at the beach, placing some marshmallows in the fire.

Other people are around the fire too. There’s cheerful banter and people laugh and simply enjoy the warm evening.

 Suddenly the host of the beach party announces something: ‘Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for something different. Are there any musicians out here because we’d like to have some live music performed!’

 Without thinking twice Jaska stands up, raises his hand and shouts: ‘I’m a guitarist!’

‘And so am I’, Olli nods, not raising his voice.

 Jari offers his hand too as a drummer. During their road trip he bought a book for beginning drummers and he has been practicing on basically every object he could find every day.

 Markus would like to play the keyboard

‘Some of us are still rookies, though’, Jari mutters but the host and the other people don’t seem to mind.

 ‘It’s all about the spirit and you guys seem to be really up for it!’, the host smiles.

 

While the group quickly decides what to play the other people are waiting and Marko stands next to Jari who is sitting behind a hired drumkit.

 ‘How long do you play it?’, the graffiti artist wants to know.

‘Not for long. During my trip with these guys I finally bought real drumsticks and followed a tutorial in a book!’, Jari laughs a bit nervous. He is afraid he might fuck things up in front of all these people.

 Marko notices his behavior and tries to encourage him.

‘You’ll be great. I’m sure of it’, he smiles but it actually makes Jari even more nervous.

 ‘Don’t expect too much, though’, Jari chuckles. Marko gives him a final shoulder pat before sitting next to him, waiting for him and the others to play.

 When the “band” finally has a bassist they start to play.

At first it goes a bit rusty but soon they find a nice rhythm and flow. People even start to clap along.

 Jani is ogling the bassist and wonders if he shouldn’t try to pick up the instrument too one day. Especially when all his friends are musicians but he isn’t sure if Marko does anything with music.

 But it soon gets clear.

 

The youngster clears his throat and starts to hum along with the music. And then he starts to _sing_. Jani is pretty sure it’s all improvised but it leaves him speechless nonetheless.

Jari misses one beat when he hears his music getting carried by his new friend Marko. He quickly get back into the rhythm again and he hopes no one had noticed it.

Olli notices it too and Markus and Jaska give each other an understanding look.

 ‘Looks like we got us self a singer’, Markus grins.

 

After they’ve stopped playing and join the rest of the crowd around the fire again, Jani stays a bit longer on the small stage to talk with the bassist.

Meanwhile the others praise Marko on his singing skills.

 ‘Whoa, I didn’t know you could sing! I mean…’, Jari exclaims the obvious. It makes his peer laugh.

‘What? You mean I don’t look like a singer? You think I look more like a hobo or something? A rebel?’

 Jari gets all flustered and heavily shakes his head: ‘No, no no! I didn’t mean it like that! But yeah, I didn’t expect it. I like your voice. It’s sounds really nice and I should’ve know it and-’

 ‘It’s okay, Jari. No one seemed to expect to hear our new friend to sing like that’, Jaska saves the young drummer from the awkward situation.

 ‘Thank you, guys. I hope I can add something to your little group’, Marko smiles.

‘You will’, Markus assures the newcomer, ‘The more, the merrier! It’s great to have so many different people in a group, you know.’

 ‘And you’re a singer. Which we were missing!’, Jaska adds. He now looks over at Jani who is still talking with the bassist.

 ‘Hm and it looks like we soon have a bassist in our midst as well. The final missing ingredient!’, the man mutters.

‘Great!’, Marko exclaims, ‘You guys actually perform live?’

 ‘Not many times although we would like to’, Markus sighs. He stares into the fire and rests his head against his partner who rubs his back in response.

 ‘We only have one guitar, two drumsticks and a tutorial book on drumming. Guess we’re too poor to buy actual equipment’, Jaska laughs but the tone is sad.

 ‘At the moment we just travel around the country. Letting things go and see how it turns out’, Olli muses as he throws a twig into the fire.

 ‘Sounds fun too’, Marko comments as he tries to imagine how it is to travel with a bunch of guys from place to place.

 ‘It is fun though. I learned a lot from this trip with no destination’, Jari smiles.

‘Indeed. But maybe it’s finally time to settle somewhere to actually get all the equipment so we can start’, Markus mutters.

 ‘I hope I can help with that’, the newcomer outs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 11-07-2017


	7. The start of something big!

The six young musicians continue their travelling but are also looking for a place to call home.

They’re looking for a way to become more known and to become better in what they’re doing.

 Finally they’re able to settle down in a new city.

Together they rent a studio that used to be part of an old and abandoned warehouse.

 

“I’m thinking setting up a tattoo shop again,” Olli lets his friends know.

“That reminds me, I should probably also look for a job,” Markus mutters. Then he adds: “It might be the best if we all do that.”

 “Do you think I could make a living out of my art?” Marko wants to know as he now faces the tattooist.

“You can always try. Although, I’d suggest to look for a more stable job first. But you can already try and promote your art on the street,” the older man advises.

 “So if I understand this properly,” Jari suddenly speaks up, “We first need to get a ‘normal’ job so we have a safe income to pay the rent. Afterwards, we might try to get a job that’s more to our likings and then we can also start saving up some money for _decent_ instruments?”

 “One hundred percent correct,” Olli smiles.

 

\--

 

Time goes slow, but all six friends manage to find a job. Thanks to the now steady income, they’re able to buy some furniture and renovate the old studio.

 

 “Finally we can call this a _real_ home,” Jaska cheerfully exclaims after a month of hard work. He pulls his partner closer and Markus then smooches him on the head.

 “Yep,” he says.

Marko and Jari are already sitting on the couch, exhausted from all the cleaning and repairing.

The tattoo artist is preparing the tattoo corner for future clients. Meanwhile, Jani is in the kitchen but soon joins the others in the living room with a plate full of glasses.

 “Champagne for all of us,” he announces with a smirk on his lips.

“Great, I’m thirsty!” Jari cackles. He wipes away some dust from his hands before taking a glass of champagne.

 “I’d say, cheers to our new home?” the youngster guesses.

“Cheers to our new home!” Jani confirms with a nod.

Olli quickly walks over to the living room and takes a glass as well. He raises it and cheers.

 

\--

 

During an incautious moment, Jaska accidentally breaks a few strings of his friend’s guitar.

Markus, who witnesses it happening, declares: “You should buy new strings and tell Olli.”

 “I know, don’t you think he’ll be mad?” Jaska stammers nervously.

“Probably. But you really should tell him. Don’t lie about it. I think the guy appreciates honesty,” Markus nods.

 His partner sighs, stands up and walks to the tattoo corner. He wants to tell the artist, but he seems to be busy with a client.

 “Looks like business going great?” Jaska chuckles after he put the guitar on the other side of the door, out of Olli’s sight.

The blond man faces him and smiles. “Sure.”

 

After Olli’s done and the client is gone, Jaska faces his friend.

 “Say, I need to confess something.”

“Oh, what is it?” Olli asks as he is cleaning his material and storing it back in the drawers.

 “I… I hope you won’t get mad at me for this,” Jaska stammers.

“How can I be mad if you don’t tell me what happened?” Olli laughs.

“I broke some strings of your guitar,” Jaska says in one breath. His posture becomes tense and Olli stops cleaning to face the other guitarist.

 “Is that all?”

Jaska quickly nods ashamed.

 “I don’t think you did it on purpose, huh?” Olli returns to cleaning up.

“No, of course not! But I need to say, I was quite distracted,” Jaska adds.

“By your boyfriend?” the tattooist jokes. “Anyway, that’s okay.”

“Are you serious?” Jaska exclaims in disbelief but Olli nods.

 “Of course. Such things can happen. Happened to me to from time to time. All you need to do, is replace them and buy new ones.”

 “I will pay for it!”

“What do you say if we buy some tomorrow? If I’m not mistaken, Jani’s going to look for a bass guitar tomorrow so we can go together,” Olli suggests.

 “Good idea. Thanks for taking it lightly,” Jaska mutters and apologizes again.

“It’s alright, my friend!” Olli smiles and pats his friend on the back.

 

\--

 

The next day, Jaska, Jani and Olli take the van to go to the city’s only music store.

Luckily, the store is quite big.

Olli looks for the necessary tools and Jani’s inspecting the store’s bass section.

 “Darn it. Still lack some money,” he snorts annoyed.

“Should we pay some?” Olli wonders but Jani refuses the friendly offer.

 “Nah, want to pay this all by myself. You guys have done so much for me already,” Jani sighs.

“Okay, whatever suits you.”

The three men go to the cash desk and Jaska pays for the new strings.

 

Once they’re outside, they spot a very unusual scene.

Four men in dark hoodies are harassing a small kid who’s screaming for help. A few feet away from the scene, a woman is seen running. Assumingly she’s chasing the four men.

 Since no one else is paying attention, the trio of friends _do_ pay attention.

“Hey, let go of the kid!” Jani shouts to the men on the other side of the street.

The men are cursing and one of them even picks up the kid and runs away.

 “Get them!” Jaska yells.

 And soon Olli, Jani and Jaska are chasing after the four men. It’s dangerous to cross the street like that, but they do it anyway. Luckily, without scratches.

 Jaska’s the first one to catch up. He doesn’t hesitate when it comes to jumping one of the perpetrators. Jani’s close to one of the other men and tackles him by launching himself onto the guy’s legs.

With a smack the two fall onto the ground.

From what he learned during his time in the biker gang, Jani now blocks his ‘victim’ and keeps him from escaping.

Meanwhile Olli’s pursuing the other two kidnappers. The woman, who probably is the mother of the kid, nears the situation and manages to make of the two escaped perpetrators trip.

 The kidnapper with the kid in his arms is running to a new street and crosses the traffic filled road.

When he’s threatened of being run over by a car, he simply drops the kid to get himself to safety.

 Of course, the kid’s totally in shock and sits on the concrete, crying.

“Watch out!” the tattooist warns before he throws himself at the kid, pushing him away from the nearing car.

Said vehicle honks loudly and Olli gets partly hit by it. Soon the traffic’s stopped and other people help the kid, Olli and his friends. Someone even calls the police and a half hour later there’s an ambulance and a police car at the scene.

 

\--

 

Jani accompanies his friend to the hospital while Jaska stays with the police, the kid, the woman and the four criminals.

 “I can’t thank you enough for saving my son,” the woman snivels.

Jaska softly mutters: “It’s nothing, madam! We’re glad to be of help.” He then throws an ugly look at the other men who are now getting arrested.

 “I have no idea how to repay you, guys. I’m thinking of paying for your friend’s hospital bills!” the woman expresses her gratitude.

 “Whoa, lady, that’s really nice of you! But honestly, I cannot speak for Olli. I’m afraid you’ll have to visit him in the hospital to discuss that matter,” Jaska answers.

 “Then I will,” the woman smiles and picks up her son.

“See that? This man and two other guys saved you!” the woman talks to her son who now giggles as if he completely forgot what just happened.

 “Hello, little one! I’m Jaska,” the tall man introduces himself to the kid.

“I’m Nina Taylor. Now that I think of it,” the woman says as she takes something out of her purse.

Then she hands over a card to Jaska.

 “It’s my business card. So if you ever need my help, I happily obey,” she chuckles.

“Whoa, thanks. I’ll keep that in mind but honestly, you don’t have to,” Jaska murmurs as he puts the card away.

 

\--

 

“Are you sure we could ask her to fund us?” Olli asks. He is still laying in the hospital since he broke his leg in order to protect the woman’s kid.

 “I think she wouldn’t mind. After all, she told me we could call her for help,” Jaska states.

Olli frowns in thought.

 “I think we should take this opportunity,” Jani outs his opinion. He sits at the end of his friend’s bed.

“Maybe we should discuss this first with the others?” the tattooist says.

 “Of course. Just, think about it and let this idea sink in,” Jani nods.

“After all, she can always refuse or have second thoughts on the case,” Jaska smiles reassuringly.

 

\--

 

The week after Olli gets out of the hospital, they inform miss Taylor about their idea of funding them as a band.

She agrees but wants to see a live performance first. So the guys hire some instruments and give their hopefully future manager a private little ‘gig’.

 Much to the guys’ joy, she sees some true potential in them.

“What more unique band can I ask for? A few runaways, an ex-gang member, two artists! And you all seem to have some history together already. You may not believe in fate, but I do!”

 “So do we have a deal?” Markus smirks.

Taylor nods and shakes the man’s hand. “We sure have, Markus. We sure have. I’m very excited for this contract between us! You won’t regret it!”

 “And I don’t think you’ll regret working with a bunch of idiots like us!” Jaska laughs.

“I wouldn’t necessarily call you guys idiots. More like, geniuses! Cheers on a brighter future for you six!” Taylor exclaims and raises a glass of champagne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After two months i finally finished this story!
> 
> Sorry if it's a little bit rushed :P  
> but honestly, this is the only way i wanted to end this story :D
> 
> Now it has some kind of open end, but you can already predict they finally became full-fletched musicians :D
> 
> Random extra facts:  
> \- Jari reconciles with his parents and they even attend their son's first big gig!  
> \- Olli remains a tattoo artist.  
> \- Marko finally made a name of his own as a now legal graffiti artist.  
> \- Jaska's parents are surprised their son finally managed to settle down somewhere and has become a decent musician.  
> \- Markus' parents are still not happy about their son's choices but they're secretly happy he can live on his own, be it with questionable friends xD  
> \- Jani, next to being the bassist of the group, works in a motorcycle store. He magically got rid of the former gang's logo on his leather jacket so he won't have to sell the thing.


End file.
